There have got to be better options for the situation in Israel / Palestine; this can't be the best possible scenario. It seems that no one does anything to stop Hamas and Hezbollah from attacks against Israel, which inevitably causes Israel to overreact (in my opinion).
Maybe I am particularly sensitive right now - I am reading Samantha Power's book Chasing the Flame (don't worry, once I finish I'll have another Book Report for you). But it seems that the international community (especially the US) is unwilling to dedicate the resources necessary for better temporary solutions to problems, so we end up with a status-quo that is completely unacceptable.
I was very opposed to Israel's invasion of Lebanon - the one in 2006, I was too young to oppose the one in the early 1980s - and the recent attacks on Gaza seem little better. It makes it hard for the US to criticize Israel however, since we aren't willing to do anything significant that would actually both protect Israel and protect civilians in Gaza (i.e. international peacekeepers and an end to settlements).
Right now, Obama is deferring to Bush. While I understand the desire to have only one president, I think someone needs to get Israel to calm down (or back down). Plus, I am anxious to see if Obama really moves our foreign policy in a different direction or continues our policy of refusing to ever criticize Israel.
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